When I was 12, my sister and I spent part of a summer on my grandparents' cattle ranch in Barnett, MO. Go ahead -- try to find it on a map. I'll give you a hint: it's near Versailles (pronounced ver-SALES). That's 3 weeks of my life I'll never get back.

On the other hand, we were there over the 4th of July, practically all fireworks were cheap and legal, and cattle react very amusingly to bottle rockets.

*********
"Life is too short for grief. Or regret. Or bullshit." -- Edward Abbey, Vox Clamantis in Deserto